4,217 research outputs found
The Limits of Quintessence
We present evidence that the simplest particle-physics scalar-field models of
dynamical dark energy can be separated into distinct behaviors based on the
acceleration or deceleration of the field as it evolves down its potential
towards a zero minimum. We show that these models occupy narrow regions in the
phase-plane of w and w', the dark energy equation-of-state and its
time-derivative in units of the Hubble time. Restricting an energy scale of the
dark energy microphysics limits how closely a scalar field can resemble a
cosmological constant. These results, indicating a desired measurement
resolution of order \sigma(w')\approx (1+w), define firm targets for
observational tests of the physics of dark energy.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Cosmic Growth History and Expansion History
The cosmic expansion history tests the dynamics of the global evolution of
the universe and its energy density contents, while the cosmic growth history
tests the evolution of the inhomogeneous part of the energy density. Precision
comparison of the two histories can distinguish the nature of the physics
responsible for the accelerating cosmic expansion: an additional smooth
component - dark energy - or a modification of the gravitational field
equations. With the aid of a new fitting formula for linear perturbation growth
accurate to 0.05-0.2%, we separate out the growth dependence on the expansion
history and introduce a new growth index parameter \gamma that quantifies the
gravitational modification.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures; minor changes to match version accepted to PR
Gravitational Wave Sirens as a Triple Probe of Dark Energy
Gravitational wave standard sirens have been considered as precision distance
indicators to high redshift; however, at high redshift standard sirens or
standard candles such as supernovae suffer from lensing noise. We investigate
lensing noise as a signal instead and show how measurements of the maximum
demagnification (minimum convergence) probe cosmology in a highly complementary
manner to the distance itself. Revisiting the original form for minimum
convergence we quantify the bias arising from the commonly used approximation.
Furthermore, after presenting a new lensing probability function we discuss how
the width of the lensed standard siren amplitude distribution also probes
growth of structure. Thus standard sirens and candles can serve as triple
probes of dark energy, measuring both the cosmic expansion history and growth
history.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; v2 minor changes matching published versio
Comparison of organoleptic acceptability of liquid and fresh diets
Organoleptic acceptability of liquid and fresh diets for space flight feedin
Faraday Rotation Spectroscopy of Quantum-Dot Quantum Wells
Time-resolved Faraday rotation studies of CdS/CdSe/CdS quantum-dot quantum
wells have recently shown that the Faraday rotation angle exhibits several
well-defined resonances as a function of probe energy close to the absorption
edge. Here, we calculate the Faraday rotation angle from the eigenstates of the
quantum-dot quantum well obtained with k.p theory. We show that the large
number of narrow resonances with comparable spectral weight observed in
experiment is not reproduced by the level scheme of a quantum-dot quantum well
with perfect spherical symmetry. A simple model for broken spherical symmetry
yields results in better qualitative agreement with experiment.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Spontaneously Localized Photonic Modes Due to Disorder in the Dielectric Constant
We present the first experimental evidence for the existence of strongly
localized photonic modes due to random two dimensional fluctuations in the
dielectric constant. In one direction, the modes are trapped by ordered Bragg
reflecting mirrors of a planar, one wavelength long, microcavity. In the cavity
plane, they are localized by disorder, which is due to randomness in the
position, composition and sizes of quantum dots located in the anti-node of the
cavity. We extend the theory of disorder induced strong localization of
electron states to optical modes and obtain quantitative agreement with the
main experimental observations.Comment: 6 page
Estimating the age of fire in the Cape flora of South Africa from an orchid phylogeny
Fire may have been a crucial component in the evolution of the Cape flora of South Africa, a region characterized by outstanding levels of species richness and endemism. However, there is, to date, no critical assessment of the age of the modern fire regime in this biome. Here, we exploit the presence of two obligate post-fire flowering clades in the orchid genus Disa, in conjunction with a robust, well-sampled and dated molecular phylogeny, to estimate the age by which fire must have been present. Our results indicate that summer drought (winter rainfall), the fire regime and the fynbos vegetation are several million years older than currently suggested. Summer drought and the fynbos vegetation are estimated to date back to at least the Early Miocene (ca 19.5 Ma). The current fire regime may have been established during a period of global cooling that followed the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum (ca 15 Ma), which led to the expansion of open habitats and increased aridification. The first appearance of Disa species in the grassland biome, as well as in the subalpine habitat, is in striking agreement with reliable geological and palaeontological evidence of the age of these ecosystems, thus corroborating the efficacy of our methods. These results change our understanding of the historical mechanisms underlying botanical evolution in southern Africa, and confirm the potential of using molecular phylogenies to date events for which other information is lacking or inconclusive
Cosmology with X-ray Cluster Baryons
X-ray cluster measurements interpreted with a universal baryon/gas mass
fraction can theoretically serve as a cosmological distance probe. We examine
issues of cosmological sensitivity for current (e.g. Chandra X-ray Observatory,
XMM-Newton) and next generation (e.g. Con-X, XEUS) observations, along with
systematic uncertainties and biases. To give competitive next generation
constraints on dark energy, we find that systematics will need to be controlled
to better than 1% and any evolution in f_gas (and other cluster gas properties)
must be calibrated so the residual uncertainty is weaker than (1+z)^{0.03}.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures; v2: 13 pages, substantial elaboration and
reordering, matches JCAP versio
Quinstant Dark Energy Predictions for Structure Formation
We explore the predictions of a class of dark energy models, quinstant dark
energy, concerning the structure formation in the Universe, both in the linear
and non-linear regimes. Quinstant dark energy is considered to be formed by
quintessence and a negative cosmological constant. We conclude that these
models give good predictions for structure formation in the linear regime, but
fail to do so in the non-linear one, for redshifts larger than one.Comment: 9 pages, 14 figures, "Accepted for publication in Astrophysics &
Space Science
Reticulation, Data Combination, and Inferring Evolutionary History: An Example from Danthonioideae (Poaceae)
We explore the potential impact of conflicting gene trees on inferences of evolutionary history above the species level. When conflict between gene trees is discovered, it is common practice either to analyze the data separately or to combine the data having excluded the conflicting taxa or data partitions for those taxa (which are then recoded as missing). We demonstrate an alternative approach, which involves duplicating conflicting taxa in the matrix, such that each duplicate is represented by one partition only. This allows the combination of all available data in standard phylogenetic analyses, despite reticulations. We show how interpretation of contradictory gene trees can lead to conflicting inferences of both morphological evolution and biogeographic history, using the example of the pampas grasses, Cortaderia. The characteristic morphological syndrome of Cortaderia can be inferred as having arisen multiple times (chloroplast DNA [cpDNA]) or just once (nuclear ribosomal DNA [nrDNA]). The distributions of species of Cortaderia and related genera in Australia/New Guinea, New Zealand, and South America can be explained by few (nrDNA) or several (cpDNA) dispersals between the southern continents. These contradictions can be explained by past hybridization events, which have linked gains of complex morphologies with unrelated chloroplast lineages and have erased evidence of dispersals from the nuclear genome. Given the discrepancies between inferences based on the gene trees individually, we urge the use of approaches such as ours that take multiple gene trees into accoun
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